[j1vms]

> (...) are part of the executive branch of government and report to the President of the United States.

It's very likely, from what we have observed over the past sixty to seventy years, that the Executive Branch does not operate this way in practice. The actual bureaucratic system has probably morphed to allow for deniability and other measures that offer structural protection against political or legal attacks.

[boren_ave11]

But we know that he knows about it. Because he has talked about it. He once gave a speech specifically about government spying. Not only was the illegal activity not stopped, it expanded. There simply is no deniability left.